let's go back and take a look. there are no markers of the grave sites here. and what gave the evidence that presented itself is that at the coffins rotted and collapsed, the ground above them settled so that a careful mapping of this area, a three-dimensional mapping -- and you can actually see that in this computer schematic here, reveals that the ground here is actually marked with the remains of each of those graves. there are about 40 of them here. we think there are many other graves here as well. they likely were filled in when the slave community was still actively taking care of the cemetery prior to emancipation at the end of the civil war. an oral tradition that descendants of montpelier slaves have told us is that the periwinkle you see here was

planted intentionally to help identify this area because it blooms in the springtime. it's linked into ideas of rebirth and resurrection, part of the christian religion, that had been part of their lives. up next, a film produced in 1963 by the u.s. army. it's called "the general marshall story" about general george c. marshall who served as u.s. army chief of staff, secretary of state and defense secretary. after world war ii, general marshall designed the european recovery program which became known as the marshall plan. in 1953, he received the nobel peace prize for his plan to

stabilize and rebuild europe. this film aired as part of the big picture series on abc television from 1951 through 1975. focused on historic battles, figures and traditions in u.s. military history. >> the united states army presents "the big picture," an official report produced for the armed forces and the american people. >> it is rare in history when a man who has distinguished his name in war goes on to greatness and peace. but for george marshall, it was a short step from a brilliant military career to his role as statesman, diplomat, peacemaker.

winner of the nobel prize for peace. throughout his long career, general marshall served the most enduring ideals of a free people. his record represented the best in the democratic tradition. walter cronkite, distinguished correspondent, is our guest narrator as the u.s. army proudly turns back a page of its own history to salute citizen soldier george marshall. >> the marshall family had settled in southwestern pennsylvania a few years before george catlet was born in 1880. a uniontown, he entered a slow-moving world that was more a part of the past than of the future. marshall's boyhood passed quietly and the only contact this child would have with the army he would serve came secondhand through his father's recollections of the civil war.

america's indian frontier had only recently been tamed and the stories of carson and custer were still fresh enough to excite the imagination of any boy. looking backward over the years, it's hard to find the precise reason why young george marshall decided to make the army his profession. but choose it he did and he began his soldiering at a soldier school. the virginia military institute trained many distinguished army men before george marshall arrived in september 1897. >> they once boasted stonewall jackson as a member of its faculty. the m.i. provided the kind of environment calculated to encourage a young man with army ambitions. he rose to cadet first captain. he was an honored graduate with a reputation for military skill and knowledge which was to follow him throughout his army career. he was a young man with a passion for facts. and the ability to apply them imaginatively.

commissioned on infantry second lieutenant in 1901, marshall shortly found himself on troop duty in the philippines. assignments in oklahoma territories, texas massachusetts, and the ft. leavenworth staff college, and by the time the united states began to mobilize for war in 1916, george marshall had become a captain in the regular army. he landed in france with the first american troops and as a member of the first division staff, he helped plan the battle of cantini.

as chief of operations prior to the offensive, marshall planned the successful movement of almost a million troops, which made the great allied breakthrough possible. marshall had helped engineer the final victory. shown here with general henry allen, marshall had risen to full colonel and enormous contributions to staff planning were being widely recognized. his work on the offensive brought pershing's personal commendation. the man who designed the victory takes a moment to pose with other staff officers and friends. his reputation for brilliance

distinguished him among his staff colleagues. marshall emerged from world war i as one of the most promising young officers in the army. assigned as aid to general pershing, marshall's work kept him in close contact with the aef commander during the last days in europe. on a post-war battlefield tour, marshall calls one officer's attention to the cameraman. signal corps photographers covering pershing's activities little realize the lean, young newsworthy aing in would as the illustrious general. he bid farewell to france and boarded for america. with him went general marshall. he acquired a military planning brain, disappointed in the fact he'd been considered too valuable to spare for the combat

command he coveted. pershing recommended marshall's promotion to the brigadier, but the war's end prevented it. the two things most important to a professional soldier's career commodity and promotion had been denied marshall through unfortunate timing or the talents he possessed deemed too important to squander on the battlefield. marshall's return was a time of triumph and frustration. he'd learned the business of war in a tough school and knew it as few others did. but there was small pleasure in the knowledge. long after the noise and the shouting when this gay harbor scene had passed into memory and the world would once again take up arms, marshall would be ready.

but as the leviathan docked in new york, he was still an obscure staff officer with a cinder in his eye. he had a round of professional appearances. affecting the future security of the nation were being decided. the post war rule of the army was decided by political and military leaders. pershing believed in a tight, hard, professional force backed by a large citizen army. in marshall he found an enthusiastic supporter. it was this kind of army which had brought victory out of europe in 1918. as a member of pershing's washington staff, marshall devoted much effort during the next four years toward a realization of the citizen army goal. 1924 brought duty with the 15th infantry regiment in china.

but the commanding officer of the 15th, colonel newel, marshall posed for a rare picture. this was his first actual troop assignment in almost ten years. the 15th infantry was operating well enough when marshall joined it as executive officer. but by the time he left it had become a crack outfit. in the middle '20s, the private armies of chinese warlords fought in all parts of the land for national advantage. the mission of the 15th infantry was to help protect both american trading concessions and american lives. assignment for marshall, and before he finished his tour, the 15th acquired a reputation for smart appearance and snappy precision. it could outperform and outsign every other garrison regiment.

the distinguished faculty at the ft. benning infantry school which included future generals bradley, stillwell and collins was under marshall's direction from 1927 to 1931. when he took over the school, one of the most important in the army, he found much of the instruction had fallen behind the times. but this hard-driving man with the passion for facts was not satisfied to fight old wars. it was the present and the future that concerned him and he rhea revised the curriculum accordingly. during the '30s, the world caught fire, ignited by a handful of global arsonists who enjoyed their work. germany threatened to even the score for her defeat in 1918.

on the other side of the world, the japanese were introducing their neighbors to their own brand of arson. china felt the brutal aggression directed by the japanese warlords.carrie out the ambitions and aspirations of a nation bent on territorial conquests. for a while, many of us laughed at a comic opera character speaking from a roman balcony. but his intended victims in ethiopia did not laugh. they were a proud and fierce people determined to resist the italian dictator's aggression. mousolini invaded anyway and another piece of earth caught fire. an appeal was made, but no one came forward.

mussolini demonstrated for his friends how easy it was. the day germany invaded poland, george marshall, then a brigadier general, became the army chief of staff. the secretary of war, the task of mobilization lay ahead. the resources of a mighty nation had to be tapped to produce the props for the great drama about to unfold. marshall had waited in the wings for 20 years for the role he was about to play. the country's manpower resources, the great citizen army in which marshall believed so deeply, had to be activated, trained and equipped to fight if necessary. and with each passing month in 1940 and '41, it appeared increasingly probable that the united states would be drawn into the war. the army numbered less than 200,000 men when marshall took

over as chief of staff. it would swell to more than 8 million before the axis defeat. he accumulated experience from the early days in the philippines and the news argan and the staff worked with the seasoning in china. the sum total was imaginatively applied by george marshall to direct the american army during the war. it was as if his career related to the monumental task he undertook. the american military build-up was just beginning to gain momentum when the japanese attacked pearl harbor. and an inspection of the army's new airborne troops at ft. bragg in 1942, marshall gets a close-up view of the citizen soldier at work.

field soldiers never knew when the chief of staff might make an appearance such as this one at the jungle warfare training center in hawaii. marshall might do his thinking and planning in washington, but it was from the field that he drew his facts. a gifted observer, the smallest detail did not escape him. army subordinates were either proud or dismayed by marshall's critical appraisal depending upon the performance. jungle training was a new experience for american troops, but it was clear from the beginning that in order to win the war in the pacific, our soldiers had to beat the japanese at their own game. in the forbidding gray of a november dawn in 1942, american

naval vessels ghosted in toward the beaches of north africa. delivering the first major allied counterattack since the outbreak of the war. their objective, the german africa corps in tunisia. the enemy was led by irwin ramel, the desert fox. his veterans had already been baptized by the battle toughened british tommies. desperately, with everything they had, the germans fought to keep from being pushed into the sea. when the allied military advisers convened at casa blanca in january 1943, the north african campaign had become tough and bitter. but the achievement of a unified al lied command was a part of the ultimately victory. marshall had worked tirelessly to achieve a smooth running command organization at the highest american level. he held the president's trust and regard. and was consulted on every critical decision affecting the conduct of the war.

marshall's diplomatic skill helped reconcile many opposing points of view with british leaders during the casa blanca conference. from the north african meetings came the allied decision to bomb germany around the clock. american b-17s help carry the war to the german backyard. the decision to invade sicily also was reached. and in july of 1943, americans and british jumped off from africa on the preliminary leg to the first assault on the italian mainland. a strong partisan for the women's army corps as important to our mobilization, the chief of staff made a point to be in washington the day the colonel was sworn in as its new commander.

by the time the allied leaders convened at cairo in december 1943, the italian campaign was well under way and the war against the japanese demanded stepped-up operations. the future of the china/burma/india theatre and the problem of harnessing china's manpower had to be resolved. the tehran, marshall took part in planning joint strategy with the russians. soviet demands for an expanded second front were addressed to the united states. it was george marshall who answered. when the chief of staff visited the pacific theatre on his return from tehran, the offensive was gaining speed. island by island, we were moving in on japan. and in 1944, marshall listened

to a firsthand report on the successful operations on the gilbert islands and the planned invasions of the marshalls. marshall conferred with douglas macarthur as they were gearing for the big pacific push that would carry them to the very doorstep of japan. italy had become a slow and painful struggle, the road to rome was a long one, and for marshall and his wife, one of extreme personal anxiety. the tank commander under patton, marshall's stepson had been engaged in the heaviest fighting for weeks. when the americans finally broke through the kinz lines of a stu enemy, the young officer met his end. for marshall, it was a personal tragedy. but the spring of 1944 brought the long-planned invasion of france. marshall accompanied general eisenhower and other high-ranking officers ashore for an inspection of the american positions on the normandy

beachhead. 15 stars fill this corporal's jeep as admiral king and genera jeep as admiral king and generals marshall, bradley and eisenhower ride out to surveyda. on this trip marshall takes a few moments to visit an old friend, the colorful patton, considered one of the most ablest field commanders in the army and the chief of staff combat assignment in north africa. the subsequent performance of the troops confirmed general marshall's wise choice. allied planners met again in 1944, this time at quebec and a

decision was made to move the invasion of the philippines three months ahead of schedule. marshall returned to fly to paris with burnes for another meeting with general eisenhower. the chief of staff was involved with the vast and complicated problem of our global supply lines and chose to inspect the divisions poised for the final thrust into germany. a minor slack in the line of supply at this moment could cause a major military disaster. marshall knew all of the facts at both ends of the line. the price of victory was far too high to risk delay. the trip to europe provided marshall with another opportunity, a chance to talk with the troops. he spoke informally to american soldiers that would face the toughest test in history and

triumphed. marshall inspected their positions within range of the enemy, his last close look before the axis collapsed and warld war 2 ended with the final capitula ti on of japan. he said that although millions gave america extraordinary service, marshall gave it victory. 1945 also saw marshall dispatched to china as the president's special representative to negotiate a truce between chung kie sheng and the communists. general eisenhower, then chief of staff, visited his former boss during the negotiation. this was the first time marshall

official deputy low mat and the role was not unfamiliar. although the army had been his profession his interest had always been his career. marshall received the oath of office as secretary of state from chief justice vincent early in 1947. the president enthusiastically endorsed the former chief of staff at a critical time in history. it was fairly said that mr. truman selected him not because of his experience but because he was marshall. >> there is nothing that i can say at this time regarding matters that pertain to my position in the state department, but i assume the duties with a great feeling of great responsibility and a very earnest desire to carry out the foreign policy of this government in the manner that has been so splendidly exemplified by my predecessor,

mr. burns, my old friend. >> the new secretary broad imagination and a dignified intensity to his job which was equal to the world challenge. in march 1947 marshall headed a delegation to moscow whose mission was the peace agreement on germany and austria and the opportunity to observe the russian bear in the native environment was valuable in view of increasing soviet hostility. russia already loomd as the largest question mark in america's future. the desperate economic polite of europe grew marshall's whole attention upon his return and recommendations were presented to the congress. >> it is still emerging from the devastation of the most destructive war in history. within its own resources europe cannot achieve within a reasonable time economic stability. the solution will be easier, of

course, when the nations want coulding but they respect. far from cooperating, the soviet union and communist parties have proclaimed their determined opposition to a plan for european economic recovery. economic distress is to be employed to further political ends. there are many who accept the picture that i have just drawn and raise a further question, why must the united states carry so great a load in helping europe? the answer is simple. the united states is the only country in the world today which has the economic power and productivity to furnish the needed assistance. the 6.8 billion proposed for the first 15 months is less than a single month's charge of the war. to be quite clear, this unprecedented endeavor of the

new world to help the old is neither sure nor easy, it is a calculated risk. it is a difficult program. you know far better than i do the political difficulties involved in this program. there is no doubt whatever in my mind that if we decide to do this thing, we can too it successfully. >> the great rubble heaps left by the war were soon diminished by an american investment in international friendship and goodwill which also proved to be an effective economic weapon against spreading communism, the marshal plan. offered on a self help basis marshal plan a enabled many war ravaged countries to regain their first foothold on a stable peace time economy. train and production were stimulated and communist plans depend end on poverty and despair were thwarted in many parts of the world. george marshall resigned as secretary of state in january

1949 intending to relax for the first time in almost 50 years. the national red cross called upon him for one further task in the public interest when it asked him to serve as its head. meeting with polo found tags chief marshall outlined his plans for the vast mercy organization. less than one year later the president persuaded him to return to the government as secretary of defense. he flew to korea where he met with again ridgeway and other u.n. leaders, and the man with the passion for facts was gathering them first hand. this was a different american army than marshall had had known and a different kind of war. the citizen soldier did the fighting in korea and this time under a u.n. banner and for a limited objective.

in washington marshall assumed the critical responsibility for all of the men and material necessary for victory in korea. the peculiar circumstances of the conflict called for the existence of large american forces without total mobilization in the united states. once more, george marshall, the states man, distinguished himself. relaxation was rare for the busy cabinet member but to the delight of a pretty queen, he did manage to officiate at the schennen dough aapple blossom festival in 1951. on the 50th anniversary of the graduation they played tribute

to general marshall with a day named in his honor. many of his old classmates came to lexington to applaud the school's most distinguished graduate and recall their years as memrs o cadet corps. lute to statesmen, the entire body stood at attention while marshall was service medal and then the man whose life represents the highest i deals of the cadet corps inspected the ranks of men who may be tomorrow's leaders. george marshall resigned from settled in leesburg, virginia, in 1951. his public service spanned a critical half century for our country placing him in the ranks of great american patriots. >> free